The power of love
by REMEMBEROBAN
Summary: Eva returns to earth to a peaceful life with her dad. Suddenly Don fell sicken to death with no cure to help him. Its time for Eva to take a risky choice. Joining prince Aikka and new friends she seeks out on a dangerous adventure after a legendary plant that can fulfill only one wish. What will be the price of her love?
1. Chapter 1: calling like a siren

**A/N:  
Hi, guys! Missed me? Hope so! Are you guys ready for a new epic adventure that will blow your mind beyond all your fantasies? This story was inspired by the epic soundtrack from Transformers "The all spark theme!". Hope you like it! Read and review!**

**CHAPTER 1:**

**__**_Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face. If only I knew what I know today. Now I regret it so much. I would hold you in my arms and take the pain away. Thank you for all you've done. Please forgive all my mistakes._

I could feel the tension. They were giving me those looks again."Late again, aren't we Miss Wei?", my teacher frowned as I quietly sat down on my desk right next to the window. The girls behind me were surprised that I didn't snap back at my teacher as I usually did. After five minutes or so the whole class followed the grumpy old man to the school library. Seems like I missed the history class. "With books, I do not mean comics, Ethan.", he glared at my best friend. Once he turned his back on us I was on my run again. I was about turn around the corner when I heard Ethan squealing my name at the end of the last book shelf. I found him drooling over some sort of drawing of a lake. "Wow, water...", I snarled sarcastically. "Could you please just shut up for one moment and listen?" What he read from the book really captured my interest. "Legend tells of a mysterious lagoon far beyond the greatest borders of the galaxy that only the ancient people of the secret planet knows of. Deep underneath the poisonous water lays a precious treasure that many have attempted to catch, but with no success. The treasure carries-", before he could finish the last sentence we both heard the bell rang! Just when I actually was tempted to read that book. I couldn't focus the rest of the day. The book was like a siren that constantly kept calling me. Somehow I had a feeling that it was trying to tell me something important, something so important I could get my mind off it.

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Ethan asked if I wanted to come over to chill at his, but I just walked away. I couldn't tell him why. It hurt too much. As soon as I came home I slouched on the couch. There was nothing on the table. He usually left behind a note. My throat felt like sandpaper. Suddenly I heard the phone ring! I picked it up to the sound of someone crying heavily. "You need to come to the hospital. It about your father…". The glass slipped off my hand and broke to a thousand pieces as I rushed out the door. My entire body was so worn out I could barely catch my breath when I arrived at the halls. My eyes fell on the woman wiping her tears in front of an old wooden door. Once I walked into the room I finally understood why my aunt cried. My jaw dropped to the floor as I ran to the bed finding him pale as a ghost, but sweating as if the room was inside a volcano. "DAD!", I yelled. I held his hand tightly as I asked him what was going on! With a weak voice he told me he was fine and everything would be alright. Of course I didn't believe it. The nurses asked me to leave, but I refused. Not now. I could see it in his eyes that he needed me. My hands were glued to his, but at the same time they were slowly slipping out. Finally I agreed to leave although it pained my heart somehow. As I walked into my aunts arms my entire vision became grey. _I could still remember his face that day and all those words. Those words that made the rest of my life dark as the skies above my head tonight._

"The doctor said he hasn't much time left. So you need to stay here with me.", she told me as I entered the guest room. That night I sat up crying quietly. It was cold as ice and very lonely. Still, now was not the time to sit back and pray like my aunt said. I had to do something. Then it hit me like a lightning! People may think I'm insane, but then again. Why wouldn't it be important if I couldn't get my mind off it?

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The next page which was supposed to reveal the lagoons secret was gone. Instead the book left me with nothing but a piece of the last sentence. Who were the ancient people and where could I ever find those fossils? "Would you look at that… the girl's actually reading!", I heard a voice just above my eyebrows. "Let me guess… you're trying to find out where this treasure is, right? You gotta be kidding me, Eva. How do you even know this is true?". Even though I doubted too there was still something that kept me hungering for the treasure. Without any further a due I walked over to the book shelf behind him and grabbed many history books like a excavator. Soon Ethan left after calling me retarded for trying to look for a lost planet and then when I found it, I would ask for help from some alien people. Honestly, I couldn't care less what he told me really. Then I found it! "The ancient people were highly skilled in archery and learned how to control the magic forces of the elements from the nature. Their planet was located between the Earth Coalition and the imperium of the Cr-", suddenly I felt someone stole the book out of my hands! "Go to class, Miss Wei.", the old man snarled at me firmly. Once again I was left clueless and confused.

Again and again the teachers roared at me for not paying attention. After recess I quickly ran to the library to find the books gone. It was exactly what I feared. I shouldn't have left. I should have taken them with me. "He burned the books while we had math.". My knees crippled together on the floor as my heart was slowly filled with emptiness. Two hands grabbed my arms and pulled me up. What was happening to me? Even Ethan noticed the drastic changes in me. Finally after he kind of understood why I needed them so badly, he asked if I needed help. After brainstorming everything I remembered from the book he asked me if I actually knew someone or something that reminded me of the ancient people. Highly skilled in archery? Did I know someone who was good at shooting arrows? I looked at the sky. This time they were blue. Heavenly blue. Then it hit me! His eyes. They were like the skies. "AIKKA!", I shouted making Ethan giving me raised brows. "Who's Aikka?"

"Don't you know? He's the prince of Nourasia!". It all made sense now! Aikka was extremely talented at shooting arrows, he could fly G'dar, and control forces of the nature! The only question left was how I'm supposed to get there? To Ethan, this was just an old fairytale. But to me, it meant life or death. So asked him to help me build a teleporter even if I sounded insane. What other options do I have? I don't want to let my dad die without at least trying. A bright shade of pink painted my cheek when he asked if I trusted Aikka. After many attempts of convincing him, he finally gave in. Now my only problem was how I was going to escape my aunt's prison? I waited patiently for supper like a wolf waiting for its pray. The moment she turned around to stir the boiling soup I poured sleeping medicine in her cup. Then in the middle of the night, I sneaked out feeling like criminal. I was about to turn around the corner when I all of a sudden knocked her beloved antic vase off the table causing my little cousin to wake up! "MOM! EVA'S RUNNING AWAY! CALL THE POLICE! HURRY!". Like a cheetah I ran out the house in full speed heading for Ethan's house! I'm sorry auntie, but my dad needs me as much as I need him. I knocked on the window to his bedroom as if there was no tomorrow! How could he be asleep at a time like this?! We quickly plugged in all the buttons to his computer. "I don't know if this will work, Eva…", he told me as we bringed everything to his backyard. The computer was charging like a snail. It seemed like forever! I could hear the sirens approaching in the neighborhood! "They're coming! Hurry, Ethan!", I began screaming! My whole body was in full alarm. I could feel my heart pounding like train. The blood streamed through my as I began panicking! The sounds of heavy footsteps were coming closer and closer! Ethan pushed on the button and switched the portal open as a hologram, but suddenly the whole thing broke down and failed! The policemen were just a few meters away from us now! I was in full panic! "JORDAN! HELP!", I screamed at the sky! Suddenly a lightning striked down the grass! Everyone's eyes were blended by the bright light. Then I screamed at the top of my lungs when my whole body was sucked into it! After that everything became black. The next thing I knew I found myself laying on something soft as feather.

My name. Someone was echoing my name. That voice. It was so familiar, but where have I heard it before? The moment I shut my eyes open I felt something grabbing me like a wolf attacking its pray. My body flew like a wind heading for something. Suddenly my feet stopped. I felt like someone had put two tops in my nostrils and squeezing me to pieces like a piece of clay. "Come. You cannot be here.", he whispered as we sneaked out silently through some kind of halls. The view was amazing! Was I Eldorado? Every building was covered in gold, threes that shone bright like diamonds and rivers clearer than crystals. I was in the holy city of Dol. Then something caught my eye. Tan skin. Hair shining like copper and tall as a pole. The one that was holding me was…

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**A/N:**

**I know it's a very short story, but I'm not sure if I should continue it because of school and other stuff. Did you guys like it? If so, let me know! If a lot of you really found this interesting maybe I'll continue it. What do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2: forbidden

**A/N:  
HI GUYS! I'm so sorry for updating this late, but my computer suddenly lost the internet connection and everything just screwed up! But hey! Let's focus on the positive things, right? Since you guys wanted to know more so badly I guess I have no choice but to give you want you want! Hehe! It's so nice to have loyal readers as you and the fact that you give a little of your time to read my stories makes me very thankful :') Thank you so much! As promised, if someone really wanted me to continue, I would. So here's the next chapter.**

**READ AND REVIEW!**  
**CHAPTER 2  
**

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I was astonished. Every building was covered in gold. The trees shone bright like diamonds. Even the rivers sparkled clearer than any crystal on earth. I was in the holy city of Dolh. Then something caught my eye. Tan skin. Hair that shone like copper in the rays of the sun. Height tall as a pole. He put a hand over my mouth as we sneaked out to a slightly darker part of the city. But why? The only thing he said was that we couldn't be here. All of a sudden our feet stopped moving. My ears detected water running. Running downwards. Automatically my head began shaking. I knew this was a bad idea. Slowly I began walking backwards. "If you can ride a gigantic hovercraft all by yourself, what difference does this make?", he asked me with a smirk while holding out his hand. Afraid? Me? "Let's do this!". My hair danced in the wind as we fell. If dad saw me now, he would probably kill me for doing this. There, behind the many curtains of water, a creature in blue flew towards us. It caught us spectacularly in the open air. Once we landed on a safer ground I squeezed the water of my hair. Now I knew what it meant when people said you only live once, but in a much larger scale. I jumped off a freaking waterfall. How about that? My cheeks burned red the moment I saw his muscles showing through his now completely soaked shirt. Without any further a due I ran to him placing my hands around his neck while shouting out his name in joy. "AIKKA!". Then it happened. My muscles erased the smile off my face. There was something different about him. His eyes. His heavenly blue eyes turned to a darker color. He brushed my hands off his neck pushing me far away from him, at least two meters. He had never rejected one of my hugs before… "What's wrong?", I asked him, but he just turned away. A horrible feeling grew inside me. It became worse when he jumped on G'dar. G'dar buckling his wings blowing away my hair at the speed of a helicopters wings. I shouted his name in panic. "We can no longer be seen together.". My hands let go of his wings.

I was glued to the ground for one moment. What did he mean? What was happening? My feet began moving. Faster and faster. He couldn't just leave me like this. Every muscle pushed me further and further. I yelled his name. But not even once he turned around to face me. He disappeared. Don't leave me… Aikka. My knees fell to the ground

The sun was setting down the horizon behind the mighty mountains of Nourasia. I knew what this meant. Instantly my body switched on the survival instincts. I crippled together like a infant. The big rock beside me was the only refugee I had. My feet were becoming cubes of ice. I breathed on them to keep myself warm, but it wasn't helping. Slowly and little by little my body began shaking. My body was becoming an earthquake shaking like a piece of jelly. Even my tears could pass the icy corners of my eyes. He had to come back. Aikka have to come back for me. It isn't him to just leave me alone like this. It's not like him to leave a friend behind. Something rattled between the bushes. Silence. There it was again. I squeezed the sprig in my hands and slowly crabbed backwards. Still with eyes closed I could feel it coming closer and closer. Suddenly something thundered towards me. My breath became heavier as I struggled to stay still, waiting to surprise it before it attacked me. I could feel its breath on my neck. My insticts took off and I ran quickly as I could through the darkness! A tree. I tried to climb up as fast as I could, but my feet were failing me because of the slippery bark. It grabbed my foot! It's claws were pulling my legs down. I was screaming to death. Fighting with every muscles I have till the very last end. Eyes, green as emeralds were the last thing I saw before everything turned dark. It was over.

Lions. Someone were roaring against each other. My vision was still blurry as fog. My head. It felt like someone had thundered with a hammer on my brain. I was surprised that I was alive. That voice. It was him, wasn't it? Suddenly there was a exchange of small squeaks and someone whispering in panic. They were running around like wild animals. Again and again they whispered. Before everything became silent. I could see a small glimpse him standing there majestically in his velvet red cape. He pushed warm air through his nostrils. "I found her drenched in the rain. What do you expect me to do when you find such a thing outdoors in a weather like that?", he asked politely, still very serious.

"Take her back. She cannot be here."

"What do you mean?". Now it was my turn. I needed answers. Aikka eyes widen and so did his as I stood up from the somewhat looked like a fluffy couch. Once again he turned his back on me. A sting cut through me inside. Why wouldn't he answer me? My gaze was attached to the ground. I felt someone stroke my arm. It was him. The one with the emerald eyes. It couldn't be... I somehow relaxed at his comforting words, but I had to pull myself together. Again, I said his name firmly. This time I really meant earnestness. I was his friend, wasn't I? Then why wouldn't he even look at me? Like earlier he brushed my hand off his shoulder when I tried to reach to him. "Let him be… come with me I will t-"

"You know as much as I do that she cannot stay here! TAKE HER BACK!", he yelled all of a sudden. I had never seen him this way before. Raging for a small matter as this. In a tone that he never used to me before. He wasn't like this at all. Aikka, what happened to you? What was it that he had against me? I looked at him with eyes confused like a missing piece of a puzzle. "Times have changed, Merodan. You know that.". With that my eyes became bigger than bowling balls. Did that mean that we couldn't be together? Even when we made a promise to each other that he would come back for me? It didn't make any sense! Aikka would never lie. At least not to me. No. I couldn't let all my struggles till now be in vain. Help was what I needed and I won't give in just yet. "Take me back…", I said quietly and began walking to the door.

Soon Merodan, took me back to where Aikka left me. Back to the place where the wind blew so harshly my toes felt like ice. Even the air above threatened to kill my lungs. What was I doing returning back to a place like that? Once our feet landed on the ground, I began walking. I didn't know where. I just walked and walked till there was no place left to walk. My eyes caught a smile on my left. Why was he smiling? "You are really one strange creature…", he finally said. At first I wanted to punch him because I was so confused and pissed off, but somehow my muscles painted a smile on my face too. Merodan seemed too take off his uniform and become more like a human. We sat down on the meadow watching as the birds flew by. When I thought of Nourasia I never imagined it would be like this. Now I learned that I should never make expectations.

"You know he's just doing as he's told?". My eyes turned to him. I realized that he was the crown prince of this planet and would soon take over the king's throne. It was as if he could read my mind. I was shocked. What did he mean?! Everything changed after the great race, absolutely everything. From the small glimpses I remembered the people looked unusually pale. Emaciated from little nurishment. "Our beloved king became very ill, near passing away.". It couldn't be. "His grave illness left him without a choice and entrusted Aikka the responsibility of our people.". Merodan sighed for a second before facing me again. "Both he and our people were not ready for this…they were still hurt and lost.". I knew why. While we were on Oban and raced for the prize that could save the destiny of his very planet, the people suffered under the despicable rule of the crogs. Everything became worse like a wound that would never heal. "Our people split in two and blamed the court for no protection like they promised.". Which lead to their lack of trust to anyone, especially my kind.

"Aikka swore with his life that he would do anything within his reach to protect our people.". So that meant that if he brought someone like me, a human for instance, in to the holy city of Dohl, Nourasias crown jewel and most holy place, it would mean certain death for high treachery! Now I understood what dangerous time they lived in and how impossible it would be for me to imagine not closing my eyes at night. Still, it didn't feel right. The feeling of fighting was stronger than pity. Although I knew that it would be best for me to return home to leave this kingdom in peace, I just couldn't force myself to give up. Not right now. "Why have you come here?"

I hesitated giving him the answer because of the tension between our species. Could I trust this guy? By judging his personality he didn't seem like a huge treath, in fact he looked somehow… innocent. Once I told him what I looked for everything became silent. He had the same reaction as Ethan. Eyebrows way up the sky and jaw dropping lips. He turned his back on me and stood up. Emotionless on the face and began walking away. I scurried to catch him up, but all of a sudden he began running! Because he was twice as fast as me I couldn't reach him. My hands grabbed his shirt trying to pull him back. My voice begged for mercy. He shoved me far away before trying to take off.

"PLEASE YOU NEED TO HELP ME! MY FATHER'S SICK!"

He held out a hand. I caught a smirk on his face. "Rules are meant to be broken are they not?".

We flew back to the kingdom. My heart beat faster and faster as the inches from the holy city minimized. The guards that had eyes like eagles. One mistake could be fatal. He sneaked me in a secret room behind the walls. It seemed like he was the only one that knew about it. The beetle! It screeched outside the walls and it was too late for us to open it again! I began running like crazy as we heard voices nearing us. Their feet were stomped outside as they listened close to the walls to hear any movement. I clenched his shirt, burying my face on his back as we slowly walked backwards. The guards slammed on the wall. My breath was short and drops of sweat raced down my back. Suddenly it stopped. It took a while before my heart had calmed down at a normal rate. I really thought I was going to be beheaded for sure this time. He turned around and told me something unrespectable.

He wiped off the dust from the small crate behind me. "Finding it will not be easy…", he said as he pulled out something rectangular out of the box. "This book has some of his handwritings, but there are unreadable, even for me.". Those handwritings. Even though they may be hard to solve, it was the only clue that could lead us to what I burned for. The letters were certainly in nourasian, but I noticed that they were written in the color green. Where could an ancient man possibly hide? More importantly, what man writes his signature in green? Then it hit me. "Merodan… is there a greenhouse nearby?". To my disappointment he shook his head. Ever since the race ended the nourasians stopped producing plants because the crogs craved all their harvests which their families were depending on.. So when they stopped to prevent the crogs from stealing more from them, all the farms stopped and their crops died. Somehow I had a feeling of that not _everyone _stopped. Some were clever indeed. I looked at the book once more. The paper was covered in dusts of gold. Even he was fascinated over it! "At the library, it is the only place we carry such precious scroll papers as that.". The library. Meaning that we would have to risk our life to get there. You gotta be kidding me…

Luckily we survived all the way through the halls like secret spies and rushed into the doors of the library running through bookshelves after bookshelves. While Merodan guarded the locked doors I was on a hunt after the precious papers. It was only a question of time left before someone would catch out eventually. Time was running out and still I couldn't find them. They were neither between the bookshelves nor in the cabinets behind the counters. They were like hidden treasures. Where would someone possibly hide them? I knew it. They couldn't be seen by the eyes, which meant that they weren't above the air. They were underground. The floor was hard as rocks and couldn't be lifted up by one man only. I hesitated calling him, but what other choices did we have now? While we struggled to rip off the floor to dig underground we were oblivious of the fact that someone had caught us and now were making their way towards us. I noticed something in the corner of my left eye and dug as fast as I could. Faster and faster. I had to find them. My hands were itching and sore. Every muscles inside became redder than a tomato. Blood streamed through me like a river. Now they were only a few meters from us. "Hurry, Merodan!", I shouted. They had seen us! At last my hand got a grip on the scripts. He grabbed my hand and began running towards the windows. I tried pulling back, there had to be another way. "THERE'S NO TIME!", he shouted. The glass broke to thousand pieces and some stuck to my hair like glue and poked me everywhere on the face. I could feel the air knocked out of me when his giant beetle caught us and flew away. Now the whole kingdom knew we were here.

Despite the fact that we just escaped an army of life-threatening guards and should feel safe now, the feeling of in secureness was still there. I had just become a thief. Merodan brought me back to reality to find out more about the papers. It was tearing apart! NO! The storm above our heads were making them soggy and the letters were melting away! "What do they say?"

"I don't know! It's ruined!"

"WHAT?! How could they possibly be ruined!?". Arguing would never get us further. The papers were useless! There was nothing I could do now! I was about to shout at him when something hit us! It was so bright! Was I dead or was it just the sun? What we saw next surprised us. Now I knew what Eldorado looked like in real life. "It's the ancient temple… Sarefat.", Merodan mumbled. I expected a smooth landing, but that crazyass bug stopped all of a sudden and made us facepalm hard on the ground. Our eyes popped when we brushed off the dust to find out that it was made from gold too. Suddenly my feet lost balance! A hand was put over my mouth again. Everything was happening so fast I couldn't catch up.

"You really thought you could escape that easily?"

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**A/N:**

**Guess who said that? ;) Sorry guys, but I guess I have to save it for later! HEHEHE, I'm so evil… but what did you think? Did you like it? LET ME KNOW!**


	3. Chapter 3: heart of courage

**A/N:**

Wow, guys… you don't know how excited I get every time I check my mail. Whenever I see a review I just explode of happiness every time! You guys don't know how much it means to me that someone actually reads my story :') I appreciate every one of you! THANK YOU! This chapter was inspired by the amazing song "heart of courage" by Two steps to hell. TO MAKE THE STORY MORE EPIC PLAY THE SONG WHEN YOU SEE THIS SIGN "***". I hope you like it!

**CHAPTER 3:**

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Cold shivers ran down our spines. I swallowed hard. This was what I feared the most. It couldn't be happening. Not now. I gathered all what I once called courage in me. He pulled my ear and dragged me with him. The pain that kept building up in my ear felt like acid dripping down like rain. Merodan grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. I shrieked deep inside me. My body was like gum being pulled in two directions. "LET HER GO, AIKKA!", Merodan shouted. Suddenly I heard a smack! His whole cheek swelled up. My eyes widen as I ran up to him ready to protect him. How dared he?! "Keep your voice down. Do you want to be discovered?". Everywhere around us nourasians strutted around in armors of gold with swords twice the length of a table. Still, I couldn't get over the fact that he dared to do something as shocking as that. I pulled the collar up to my nose when he told us to cover ourselves. Now I knew the feeling of being trapped inside a cage like a bird. There was one thing that bothered me. How come there weren't any one of his "eagles" that would kill us now? The further we walked into Sarefat, the more I realized that this wasn't just a part of Nourasia, but a sacred place. Their hands were bursting up with blisters as they jumped on the walls back and forth. They must be the people who lived here. We sneaked into the back of the building like snakes. Was this Eldorado? Everything glowed in the rays of the sun outside the fissures. "Look out!", I heard just before I was pushed to my left. It was only seconds before its tip would bore trough my eyeball. The tip of the spear went through the wall like a knife sliced through a piece of loaf. I felt my shirt stretch to the back of my neck. Something grabbed me! Both Merodan and Aikka rearmamented. I lost foothold and was dangling way up in the air. I let out a painful scream as he pulled my hair so hard I thought the roots were about to rip off. Suddenly it let me go. Luckily I was in whole piece. Merodan pulled my arm and dragged me behind his back. Everything was so foggy and my vision was still blurry from the fall. A guise in white stood in front us. His beard fell on the floor like a curtains and his voice was hoarse as sandpaper.

I tried to pull his arm with us in the back, but he refused to move. We had no choice. "YOU!". Everyone stepped aside and split in two as he pointed at me. I swallowed hard. His nails dug into my skin as he pulled my chin up close. I just wished I could go underground right now. He opened his mouth. "Who are you?", he asked with a surprisingly calm tone. We kept a distance. Being slayed now was not an option. Again, he asked. Now with a deeper voice. Everyone's eyes were on me. The tension rose to a whole new level. "WHO ARE YOU?!". Thousand drops of spit landed on my face. He rose his stick high up and made his way to me with fury in his eyes. My feet took me backwards, but there were only walls behind me. I could only take short breaths as he approached me faster and faster. My instincts immediately changed me into the posture of a fetus. I screamed in horror! A huge amount of gasps was heard before everything became silent. He bent down. "Pathetic.", he whispered in my ear.

Pathetic? I grabbed his robe and with force ripped of a piece off! The robes gorgeous silky white suture was now just a piece of rug. Feet stomped against me. They charged at me like a pack of wolves ready to kill. His students were ready to behead me. Once his hand reached the eyes of his students they stopped.

"I'm Eva…from planet Earth."

"Why are you here?"

"I came here to find you."

"What is that you seek from me?". It was clearly that he knew that I was looking for something. But I had no thoughts of him having good intentions in mind if I told the truth. Still, what other choices did I have? He might be useful. His grin told me that he maybe knew already. At last I told him clinging on him as my last hope. Just like Aikka he turned his back on me. All of a sudden other people came in. They were all dressed in their own style, probably from different planet each. I was beginning to feel a pinch in my stomach. His eyes were staring straight at me. With that killing glare how was I supposed to answer? "Return to where you have come from! I WILL NOT HELP YOU.". No, it couldn't be true. Not now that I had come so far. My foot took a step forward. Once more I tried to convenience him. He was the only one who knew. How could I possibly leave everything behind without even trying?

******* "Please… I'm begging you.". But he just stood there and shook his head refusing my every prayer of mercy. It clattered behind me. Without even turning to my side I could feel them coming closer. This was not what I asked for. "I'll do anything!". Everything inside me became the feeling of desperation. He looked at the ends of his robe. Somehow I knew what he would request me to do next. His finger pointed at something behind me. This was what I needed. If it was for someone that was near my heart, there wouldn't be even the slightest question about doing it or not. I grabbed the sword. Its haft was shaped like a spade with the tip sharp as ice and clear as crystals. The people who came in split in two and made way. Something pulled me back. "You don't have to do this…we can find another that can help us.", he looked at me with deep eyes. Merodan was clearly fretting over me. Over and over again I pushed his hand off my arm. "Let me go! You don't understand! I need this…". Even though I had never fought with a sword before, I had too. The sword had the weight of ten tons of bricks. Enough to break every bone in my back.

"What's the matter, human? Is it too heavy for you?", he asked me as he made his way towards me. I swallowed bitterly. Let's do this.

In seconds the people around us fired a gong making the ground shake like jelly. Despite the fact that he was old, he was quick enough to force me down on the ground. I felt my head smash to the floor of stone within seconds! The sword slipped out of my hand and reaching it seemed impossible. Like a helpless animal I rolled around underneath him using my every muscle to desperately reach the sword. If I didn't act soon my heavy breaths would be my last breaths. It was obvious that I leaked experience in fencing, but it didn't mean that I couldn't see his weak spots. My right foot shoved as fast and with all my power left inside me his knee to the side causing him to trip over me! This was my chance. As soon as I rose up again my hand rushed to the sword gripped it and prepared myself for attack. With a mistake I swung the sword to early giving him the chance to beat me with his shaft on the stomach! I lied flat on the ground again clenching my hips. If only we could switch places. He approached me faster than I thought and hit my head with his bare hands. Blood streamed out the corner of my mouth. Everything around me began spinning. This was not the time to get off balance. Threatened by the edge of his sword he pressured me further away from the sword. "You have come for nothing… and know you must learn that challenging death will punish you.", he snarled as he rose the sword ready to behead me.

"LOOK! WHAT'S THAT?!", I screamed and pointed behind him. There was my chance. With the last energy inside me my body pushed me towards my sword! I grabbed it and slung it in the air and smashed his head! Outsmarting him was the only way. Hard as a rock he fell to the ground. Once again I swung the sword, this time heading for his neck, a creature's deadliest spot. I nailed him down! They were rooting for me. Shouting that I should finish him. "Do it…", he said weakly. The sword shone in the light of the dojo. I held it high in the sky. "KILL HIM!". My hand let go of the sword. Their eyes stuck to me as I walked out the dojo. As expected, the others followed. Merodan asked me with a puzzled expression on his face why I didn't do it. "Then who'll reveal the secret of the legend?". I caught Aikka helping him up then whispering something in his ear. Both gave me such a glance enough to make my stomach clench from the inside.

* * *

For two days we stayed outside the temple in a small cabin nearby waiting for an answer. Patient was a virtue, but it also felt like an endlessly waiting. Hour by hour passed by and my feet were so restless causing my mind overthinking. What if he still refused? Even after our agreement that actually could rip away my life? I spent the night thinking that maybe my journey here was wasted after all. "Do not fret… if he won't give us the help we need, we will find another.", Merodan promised me. Somehow his words seemed trustworthy. But was it really worth to believe? It had been two days. One way or another he must have gone through a lot of thoughts by now. I heard a knock. "Miss Eva from earth, Master Azerath has summoned you. He will wait for you at the dojo.", one of the students told me once I opened the door. This was it. Like any other human I tried to restrain myself from thinking of the worst. They opened up the humongous doors for me and I stepped in to face the back of his head again. They shut the door and the lights dimmed all of a sudden. In his hand he had the edgy sword I fought with and walked towards me. As a reflex I stepped back. "This sword…", he began. "…was given to me by my grandfather who kept it hidden for decades to protect our future generation from existence. It was said that it gave great powers to those who used it with pure motives and so I believed. What I didn't know was that it possessed dark secrets that were never in intentions to reveal.". Dark secrets? Just like the books. But what did he mean? The moment I touched the sword I felt a special aura around me as if the sword really belonged to ME. When he saw me fight with it he never thought that the sword would actually let me use it, even for being a human. "I believe the sword has chosen you.", he told me putting pressure on the last word. How is that possible? I had never fought before and never even held a sword. He must have made a mistake. Though I may not be a nourasian, I was still burning with passion. Knowing that my only priority now was to do anything to save the life of my dad was the only thing that mattered.

"I have seen your heart… my decision is to let you stay because the sword itself has chosen only you.". At first I wasn't sure if he really meant it, but once I faced his eyes I knew he was speaking the truth. "It is the secret that you want, right?". I nodded. All of a sudden the light shut down completely. Everything became black as coal. Then I saw some sort of green hologram of a green plant. It was a plant?! Master Azerath may understand the secrets of the plant already, but for me it was completely confusing. Then I understood why. "What is the only thing that can heal someone and have been use as medicines for decades?"

"Of course… A PLANT."

* * *

After that we spent over a week of training. Gaining my balance in every movement was extremely hard. My schoolwork had taken so much time from my training with the hovercrafts back home that I almost lost the feeling of floating in the air. Azerath could only teach me what I needed to learn. Still I needed more. I knew there were dangers ahead of me that I would have to face and without the right survival techniques how would I defeat the final battle for the plant? Every morning was a new technique. It demanded a lot struggles just to make my muscles move. Though I broke a few bones, bleeding wouldn't be enough to make me stop. I had to be strong. Not only for myself, but for my dad. At last I finished my training. The results may be all sore muscles, but it was happy pain. As I lied down the sword Azerath placed his hand on my shoulder. The next thing he said shocked me. No, it couldn't be true. Not after all I've done now.

"You have come far, but I am not the one you should have sought for more knowledge of the plant. Go, you must find the king of Diarmorkuz. He will tell you what you need to know."

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow. The prince will take you there along with your fellow companions."

"My fellow companions?". He couldn't possibly mean those people who were in the dojo with us watching the fight and wanting me to slice him into pieces? To my expectations he said of course. I remembered there were four of them. Two of them were mirror images of each other. The other one was remarkably beautiful. Her long wavy pink hair fell gracefully down the back of her shoulders as she stepped to the sides when I was ready to fight. The one that hid in the shadows was not easy to see. She blended into the darkness with eyes red as blood. Scary not to say the least. Those were only the girls. Time passed by and noticing the males were not possible that time. Azerath told me that they stayed in the same cabin as me, but in separate rooms. Thank the lord. If I had to share a room with that one freaky girl I would probably die of heartattack. HAHA! It made me feel a bit comfortable knowing that I wasn't the only one looking for the plant, but my head knew that it was going to be competition.

Back in the girls cabin Merodan had already begun helping me pack up, so I helped him. Though we didn't bring much, learning to be satisfied with what we had would save us time and come handy once we were in the battle for the plant. I noticed that there was an empty space in our little bag. He insisted on going on a hunt for some food in the temple, which I referred to "borrow" some food from the monks. Within a minute I heard a knock on the door. What the heck? How the heck did that dude come back so fast? Did he have rockets attached to his butt or something? That voice. "Packing up already?". He said it so sarcastically I couldn't help but just sigh. It was as if he came here just to crush my hopes. "Do not let yourself fool by his words… his training skills will not help you once you get involved in a fight."

"Why are you here, Aikka?", I asked as I dropped the things I had in my hands on my bed.

"You should just give up…the things out there are not made for a human to handle. All the training you have gone through is in vain. If you continue now, sorrow will be the only thing that will fill your mind-"

"Stop it!"

"No, I will not stop! You must listen! Your father-"

"Don't you dare bring my dad up in this!". I never thought I would raise my voice like this to him.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING ONCE YOU'RE-"

"STOP IT! Get out, Aikka! GET OUT!", I shouted at the top of my lungs. My voice was probably so loud that those who lived nearby must have shaken like jellies. I slammed the door shut and fell down on my knees. Everyone should learn to open their minds before their mouths because the tongue can be as deadly as a snakes bite. I heard an exchange of voices behind the door. Quickly as I could I ran back to the packing. Pretending not being hurt was not easy because it only made me think more about the pain. I had just enough time to wipe away the tears before he placed the beverages and the food beside me before walking over me. Merodan noticed that the depressed expression on my face was not the same when he left me a while ago. "Did he come over?", he questioned me with a tone of concern taking me by surprise. How did he know? For the best, I let it behind me for a while telling Merodan as gently and as quiet as possible not to interfere no more and just go back to the boys cabin. We all shared one cabin. One for the girls and one for the guys. My room had the window towards the dojo, so I had the nearest room to the temples. At night I thought I could just lie down and forget about the world for a while as I entered sleep, but the thoughts of what happened just a while ago wouldn't let go of my mind. I was hooked, like a fish.

This wasn't right. I couldn't sleep and my dreams were not the same. My anxious mind led me outside as I climbed quietly out the window. It was so peaceful and quiet. Not a single voice nor insect. Till I heard something crack behind me. My body triggered the alarm and prepared myself for the worst. It was only him. We leaned over the fence on the bridge only a few meters from where I saw him. There was something I didn't understand. Why? Why was he so coldhearted towards me? "Why won't he let me?", I let out.

"Perhaps because…". His green eyes shone like emeralds in the light of the moon. They were so alike. "…he wants you to be safe. Aikka would never give up on someone he cares for.". Cared for me? He must be joking! After a reaction like that I didn't know if I could ever face him again. How would I know if he really cared about me or not? It was settled. I was going to put this behind me. Letting myself drag down because of what someone said, even though it was hurtful, was not going to stop me from looking ahead of me.

* * *

We gathered in the middle of the dojo. Everyone prepared with their bags filled with everything they needed. We all seemed to wait for the same thing, master Azerath. His message was clear. "They will be waiting for you there. Now that all of you have revealed the secret of the legend you must continue your journey to find it. I wish you all good luck and may the odds be in your favor.". After that everyone pulled up their bags and made their way out of the dojo towards the gigantic flying creatures we would ride on to the kingdom. I was about to catch up with the others when master Azerath called my name. Automatically I went back to hear what he had to say.

Finally we were ready. Since there were nine of us we had to split in three groups so all could share a beetle each. Of course I had to ride the most uncomfortable one. With Aikka. Fornunatley Merodan, the only one I somehow considered as a friend, rode with us. I wish G'dar would let me sit on one of his wings instead of between those two. Anything than this would be better. The fresh air brushed my cheeks till they were cold as ice. Suddenly they regained warmth again when I landed on Aikka's back causing my hands to clasp together around his hips! As much as I refused to I had to keep my heart rate down. I thought about what Azerath warned me. "The plant carries a golden orb that can make any wish come true… but beware… there will be dangers ahead of you.". The books registered the names of those who failed their mission. Many had tried, but many died. I couldn't get my mind off what he said to me after the others left. It was the most important thing that my heart really caught.

"Protect your heart. The orbs powers will judge the value of its purity.". In other words, I had to keep my feelings under control. It would be a challenge so hard maybe it would cost me everything. Maybe Aikka was right? No, I couldn't give in for letting him hit my weakest spot. To cope with it I decided from now on to treat him the same way. That way none of will never distract each other again, especially me from fulfilling my mission to persuade the plant.

The time had come. It was now or never. We set off on our adventure. The voyage would be filled of wonderful sights, interesting creatures and material for the bards to sing about for ages. Our quest was yet to begin!

* * *

**A/N:**

**OH YEAH! Finally done with this chapter. I'm so sorry it took this freakin long, but hey! It's better than nothing right? Hehe, I know, I know… Aikka's been a real douche here, but love is like math right? There's always a solution to a problem. So look forward to the next chapter guys. More drama and more epic scenes! Remember to tell me guys what you thought about this chapter :D would really love to hear your thoughts and what I can do better next time! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4: completed

**A/N:  
Just a quick tip, guys! If you really want to capture the perfect scene in this chapter I recommend you to go to youtube and search "Without you" by Steve tan! It's such a ROMANTIC piece. Trust me, once you play it while you read this chapter you'll be able to see yourself in that very moment! Remember to review, guys! I really want to read your thoughts ^^ Only play the song when you see this sign "**"  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

We flew through an endless fog. No trees, no water, no land. The wind slammed hard under G'dars wings and I knew the beetle struggled. From the moment we took off from Sarefat the sky seemed so clear. Blue as the sea and the sun sparkling with joy. Now there was nothing but a maze of fog. "Can you see them?".

"No!", I responded. As if it couldn't get worse, we lost the others. Merodan quickly yelled to cover our eyes! However I didn't understand why until I felt the burn on my fingers as the drops from the clouds slipped through and now towards my eyes! A lighting struck one of G'dars wings and sent us in a deadly position! "HOLD ON TO AIKKA!", Merodan yelled forcing my hands to clasp around his hips. Even if my life depended on it, I still couldn't force myself to do it. The wind threw us further down losing our balance! Our bodies began flickering as we spun in circles over and over. Suddenly I lost foothold and dropped. "EVAAAAAAAAA!", they both screamed in horror after me. With nothing to hold on to I quickly disappeared through the fog. The air knocked out the last breath in me leaving me spinning in the air. Small glimpses of light were all I could see before it all darkened for me. I had to stay alive. Aikka reached his hand out to me. But the fear of attachment overpowered my instincts and commanded my body to refuse. Because of the blurry vision of mine I couldn't think straight and once I regained some common sense in me it was too late. This would be the death of me. Just as I thought my head would give in for the law of gravity someone pulled me in. Fortunately the wind was in our favor and brought us back high up the sky! We might have lost the others, but the clouds had left tracks after them giving us the opportunity to catch them up.

What we saw before us astonished our eyes. Not only because of the bright light that had seeped through the heavy fog, but because of the beauty that captured our sight. Unlike Merodan and myself, Aikka didn't seemed that impressed. Rather than being filled with excitement for what was coming, it seemed that he might know much of this kingdom already. For a moment my eyes slipped from the sight of Aikka and were trapped by the extraordinary kingdom now just only a few meters away. We landed on a field of grass. The grass gently tickled my toes. To our surprise it looked like we all landed at the same place. As I looked to my right I noticed it had caught the twins' attention too by the sound of their giggles echoing in the air. The temptation of letting everything loose and have a good laughter almost distracted me from focusing on what was really important. I could see the others pulling out their weapons preparing for the worst. Though the kingdom glistened with beauty from far away, it might not be the same when your eyes first face what might be underneath its hidden mask. We sneaked silently as mice in between the cracks of its walls. What we heard was nothing of our expectation of the kingdom. In fact it was completely the opposite! The further we walked into the kingdom and neared the center of the town, the louder the sound of music became. Laughter we heard too! Everywhere we looked our eyes met nothing but millions of bouquet of flowers on the streets. Even the windows and the fountain in the center of the town were covered in sweet fragrance and banners. Not far away from us there were stands with all sorts of food with delicious smells tempting our stomachs. Girls in white crop tops and flowy skirts passed by throwing more flowers on the streets. They must be preparing for some kind of special occasion. Unlike us girls, the boys seemed to be more distracted by those girls causing me to tighten my fist. I grabbed Merodan and the black guy by the ears. "We're on a mission, not buffet.", I reminded them. We had to keep our head in the game. Come to think of it we hadn't had a slightest bite of food ever since we left Nourasia. Because of me we lost all our precious provisions when I fell from G'dars back. Knowing I wasn't the only one rubbing my stomach I asked the guys to do the rest of us a favor. Not caring what kind of brand they'd chose, we just needed some beverages to cool down our thirst and calm our hunger. Looking at Aikka I knew that it would be more comfortable to join them. I just couldn't understand why I couldn't even be near him.

I was surrounded by idiots. They must have followed their noses because what was standing in front of us was not a kiosk at all, but an old bookstore. Just as I was to leave I noticed the man behind the cashier waving at me. Naturally my curiosity brought me closer to him. Like always, of all the questions he could ask, just like Azerath, he asked who I was. He told me to come closer even if I felt that something was going on here. Behind those broken glasses I knew he had something in mind. "You are different from the others…"

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, indeed. From another planet perhaps?". To that I only nodded keeping my mouth shut in case he was planning something. While I was in Nourasia I learned not to trust just anyone.

"It is something _important_you seek, isn't it?"

"How did you know?". Azerath of course. Who else?

"A snake you must be.", he petitioned me. Just like the first sight of the kingdom I had to be just as cautious when I neared the royals. When meeting the king I had to be like snake. Cunning and clever. My choices of words would determine my destiny. In the palace there lied something precious and well-guarded from anyone who tried to seize it with motives dark as the shadows. The old man was dead serious and with that he really meant that my life would depend on it, if that was what I wanted to achieve. More knowledge of the plant was what I needed. No matter what it would take, those scrolls would be _mine_. "Beware of the guardian. Here, nothing is what it seems.", the old man told me. At the very back bookshelf he pulled out a book covered in dust with a secret space inside it. A shiny necklace with crystals shone clearly before my eyes. He told me to keep it safe and use it wisely. The crystals would provide me protection from whatever may seem like a threat once I try to get the scrolls. "In the eyes of only those who are your companions they will see you as you are, but among the people you are one of us.". After that he sent me out of store and continued his work.

A cold box of Negus landed between my hands. "Shigeru was the one who picked them.", Merodan said and pointed at the black guy. "If we die, the blame is on you.", I heard him whisper. For once they actually found what we needed. We went back to the rest who looked like dying birds in the heat of the sun. I dropped the drinks and run as fast as I could! Within seconds our heads smashed to the ground causing a choir of gasps after us. We lied flat till the sound of hard stomping stopped. The moment I looked up to rub my head I met his eyes. Like a reflex he pushed me off him. The horse carriage stopped not far from us. Out came a girl with a squeaky voice asking us if we were alright. Just like Aikka she had the same pointy elf ears and had the silhouette of an angel. Without further due she called the man riding the carriage to take us with him to the carriage. As small as it looked from the outside it was the opposite in the inside, just the same size of a limo! From her reaction she could tell that we were very tired. My observations were right as we approached the gates of what must be the heart of the kingdom, the royal palace. This was it.

Once we were on the ground of the front building introducing ourselves came automatically. Just as I thought. Because we came from different foreign planets she couldn't comprehend. Slowly she lined us up and gave us a glare I couldn't reject. Her eyes were especially focused on Aikka who stood beside me. Merodan and the rest had their hands in their back pockets prepared if anything should happen. Suddenly I heard a slam from the sound of a blade dropping to the ground. She grabbed the Shigeru and pulled him into a long kiss! What the heck was that?! So she explained. "The people of my planet are able to learn a language instantaneously through lip contact.", she smiled. There was no stopping her. To me it seemed like not _one _guy is enough to be able to speak our language because now she was coming closer towards him. As much as I wanted to turn my cheeks, my eyes refused to let go of the sight of her approaching him. Who am I kidding? With eyes beautiful as her and giggle sweet as sugar how would he reject her? After all, she was the princess from what I had observed. It was only right that they'd kiss. Why did my mood suddenly change into this depressing feeling?

Suddenly Aikka grabbed my hand. I could feel him squeezing it tightly. My eyes couldn't believe what they saw. He turned his cheeks back on her, refusing her kiss! A flash landed on my face as his eyes set on me for a while. The fact that everyone saw it made my cheeks burn even harder. "We have come to see the king.", Merodan interrupted the silence. He was right! The princess immediately broke into a smile and tripped happily with us following her like her tail further into the palace. The doors opened and we stepped in to a humongous throne room where on top of the stairs sat the king and his queen. I felt a hand pushing my head down and for some reason I realized I forgot my manners. While walking down the stairs to somewhat I understood as him asking for our names, he gave a few us certain glares that sent shivers down my spines. Those eyes. He lied his hands down on Aikka's shoulders and made the rest of us stand straight. "If it isn't Lao's son, Aikka… prince of Nourasia! Welcome!", the king greeted him. The king wouldn't know his name unless he knew who he was. "Your grace.", Aikka said and bowed deeply. That very fact set our mission in somewhat danger. Keeping a low profile now would become a difficult challenge. The moment he questioned us what brought us here, without any hesitation I stepped forward to speak. I swallowed hard as he came closer and now stood in front of me. "You… are not like the others. From where have you come?", he asked.

From what I had learned telling the truth and reveal my identity as a human could cost my life. Even though Merodan didn't move his lips I could hear his voice inside me screaming to hold it in. This wasn't the right time to fumble with words. Sooner or later something had to come out. The feeling of the king's patience leaking out pressured me and I could feel my tongue burst out the words I had been searching for! "I'M FROM CIMAPELLA… your majesty…"

"Just where is that in our galaxy?"

"East for Nourasia and up to the right from the southern star of aldebaran, your majesty. We are a very rare people.", I said trying to sound as convincing as possible. Even though I had the necklace around me I still didn't know if I could trust its powers. Doubts were in his eyes though he nodded. He opened his arms telling us to stay here. "Since you are guests in our kingdom it would be a shame if you left without even joining us for the upcoming occasion! We would be delighted if you and your friends would stay here for the royal ball!". Like lighting I covered the Shigeru's mouth along with help from Merodan's hands before he would spill out everything! "What an honor, your majesty! Of course we want to stay. But are there enough rooms for us to rest in?", I said faking a smile. With a pleased voice he called the maids and ordered them to show us our separate rooms. The others might be thinking that I had gone mad, but in fact, this was the opportunity to persuade the scrolls! Telling them the plan was not on my mind right now. I'd rather focus on it alone than messing up everything when telling them.

* * *

The moment I stepped into my room I was suddenly under attack, but it all happened so fast I couldn't even move my hands. It felt like they were taping me together onto the floor. They had put a dress on me! Of all the things I hated the most; girly dresses that made you look like a sloppy chick was the worst possible thing that could ever happen to me. "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?", I yelled as I ripped off the dress. In shock all of them screamed and stepped back intimidated by my rage. That's right. Be very much afraid. No one puts me in a dress ever again. "We have been ordered by his majesty to help them to find the right dress for the royal ball tomorrow, miss.", one of them said. Because of the scrolls, allowing me to cause a scandal was not the right thing to do now if I wanted to get close to those sacred papers. Over the night they stayed by my side changing me into a dress after another. At last we were finished I could finally chase them out. Getting me out of those horrible pieces of fabrics was a relief! My stomach reminded me of something. Since the day we left Sarefat we didn't even have single meal. That's why I sneaked out of the door searching for the kitchen where I could "borrow" some food. On my way I came across a small door, tiny enough for only the slimmest would fit trough. From the fissure between the door I saw a staircase going down in spirals. While everyone seemed to be sleeping I realized that this was my chance! I whirled the knob, but it wouldn't budge. The sound of a deep and horrid snore from the darkness inside gave me shivers. A room mysterious as it sounded like… it had to be it. The scrolls must be down there.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?". I startled as I turned around. Luckily it was only the princess. I used my stomach as an excuse, but she didn't seem to believe it. Instead she put her hand on my throat! "I may not know what you're up to, but I can assure you that if you don't keep your filthy hands off my property it will not go unpunished.", she threatened me and tighten her grip. I quickly restored all the air my lunges possibly needed. I heard a snap behind me. A few stomps on the ground before someone pulled me up. When he asked us what happened the princess all of a sudden pulled off her "mask" and smirked. The fact that she claimed that I just "fell" was not an excuse! Some people just need a high five. In the face. With a chair.

"See you tomorrow. I cannot wait to see you…", she rolled her eyes at me. "in your best attires.". I didn't exactly hate her, but if she was on fire and I had water… I'd drink it.

Next I had to face Merodan. I considered telling him the truth, but to save us both from more drama I just held my mouth shut. Unfortunately my stomach replied instead. He knew just what I needed and we both walked the same way. Soon we passed the rooms of our fellow companions. "Who's Aderu and Raine?", I asked and pointed at the sign with the purple letters. "The twins. Did you know that they come from Byrus?"

"Really?! I used to know someone from Byrus!". As we continued to the kitchen I proceeded telling him about Rush and the others back at the racing days. Talking of the past made my heart sink. Merodan noticed that my mood had changed with the silence between us. I realized that what I felt for him was more than just a memory.

"To rattle off everything, today was actually a very interesting day. Don't you agree?", he asked me as we both leaned outside the windows in the corridors. My mind kept playing that same scene over and over again as if it wouldn't let go. None of us dared to say another word and left an awkward silence between us. My cheeks kept on burning even more as he slowly opened his mouth. "Is it Aikka you're thinking of?". Automatically and with all my stupidity my head nodded revealing the truth. Idiot.

"Out of curiosity… why do you think he did that? You know… uh… holding my hand?", it rumbled out of me. Merodan suggested that maybe he was trying to protect me. Why was he sighing? Our conversation was just like the one we had in Sarefat. Just the same pain came back to me and now I had to focus on what was important here putting that behind me.

"What does Aikka mean to you really?"

For a while I was speechless. His question dug so deep in me and straight to my heart. I bit my lip. There were so many words that described him, but I couldn't set free any of them because I was afraid. I began walking for a bit. Walking and walking not even knowing where to go. Just walking. In endless breaths I tried to think of a solution. There was no solution because everything with him was something I couldn't forget. Finally Merodan caught my arm and held it firmly in place as he asked again. The question of his had really urged him too. "He's… a dear friend or maybe more than that… he's someone I owe my life for and would repay with for the time he saved me from Canaletto.". If he still remembered it I wasn't sure, but within me it would always be a photo in the albums of my life. "Regarding the ball, may I ask for your hand to escort?", Merodan asked just before I was to leave. Now that our relationship had settled to a firmer state as friends, why not?

* * *

Throughout the next day both the tailors and I were literally drowning in stress. There was only a matter of time before the ball and the people from all over the galaxy would arrive. Finally I gave in and put it on. The white lace gave me that feminine touch setting aside my masculinizes. Soft waves gently bounced on my shoulders as they slowly brushed my hair. A headpiece shaped like a leaf sparkled on my hair. Revealing my final look shocked me. I had never in my entire life actually thought of myself looking at least more decent than I usually did in a saggy old jogging pants and tight t-shirt. Just this moment was a day I realized that dresses was becoming more acceptable sometimes. The only things I wish I could burn in the fireplace were the horrible shoes. "Haven't you heard, Miss? High heels are pleasure with pains.". That may be true, but I still wanted to slice them to pieces.

* * *

I looked out the window. The streets were covered in flowers with the colors of the rainbow. People from everywhere streamed through the open gates of the palace attending this very special night. The maids held the doors open and I realized it was time. Time to reveal the true me, in a dress this once. The music became louder as I walked through the halls. Out to my right stepped Shigeru out with that girl with the wavy pink hair All three of us continued walking; now heading for the main doors that would open up to the ball itself. Aderu and Raine, the twins, walked beside us in matching frilly dresses. The guards made us line up, and one after one couple were called out by their names and introduced. The nervousness inside me built up for each step I made closer to the doors. At last the twins had made their way out. Now it was my turn. I took a deep breath and prepared for what would come. A bright light blinded me. The moment I walked out the doors the music silenced. I could feel their eyes on me as the man that was supposed to introduce us suddenly stopped. At the top of the stairs there I stood shaking like jelly while facing their glares. Then I saw him. His eyes were focused on me only as I horribly, but somewhat gracefully walked down the stairs. A hand reached out after mine and pulled me slowly down. Firstly we bowed to the royals. A good impression on the king was needed if I wanted to succeed this mission. We made eye contact several times as I listened carefully to their words. "Why, how lovely you look this evening. I see you have chosen wisely when picking Merodan as your escort tonight.", the queen smiled at us causing our face to blush a bit. Hand in hand, Merodan followed me to the middle of the floor. In front of everyone our feet began dancing. Just what I thought, he was the one to escort the princess. Also they began dancing, surprisingly near us. We spun in circles, each pair and the tension was beyond the skies. As the music changed into a slightly sweeter melody Merodan changed his hands from mine and put it on my lower back as he pulled me closer, which he clearly noticed. He mirrored his gestures and did the same to the princess. He allowed her to put her hands around his neck. Why didn't he brush them off? My feet began stomping harder and harder as we moved closer to them. The more we watched them dance, the more I wanted to escape. If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess she already won that by the sight of her grin when we turned around. Her hands pulled him closer and closer to her and now even Aikka was leaning in. Not able to hold on for much longer I escaped from what I thought of was prison. Why was I afraid to lose him when he wasn't even mine? Broken down, I sat at the nearest table. Merodan offered himself to go get some punch. Somebody poked my shoulders and asked me to dance. From what I experienced just a moment ago I sadly had to reject him. But the guy seemed to never leave and kept asking me. Suddenly he grabbed my wrist and began pulling me out! Because of my mission, my lips wouldn't allow me to defend myself. I was so close to screaming as he put his hand on my hips. "May I have this dance?", a familiar voice asked. He removed his hands off me and quickly led me to the dance floor.

"Do you know him?". I shook my head and kept it low.

"Then do not dance with him.". He seemed so firm with his words. But how would I know if he really meant it? The people around us began turning to one another. Even the king noticed now. The distance between us minimized gradually and I could feel his breath on my lips. "Am I making you uncomfortable?". I had never heard him talking to me in such a sour tone. Talking to him was never the same again. Protecting me? They were all lies. His obnoxious behavior made me feel so worthless. Aikka had changed and so had I. Without even attempting to hold me back he just let go of my hands. While I still had my freedom I ran out the doors and out.

"Are they not gentle to you?". I recovered quickly from my mental break down and rose up to greet him. In the good mood that he was, I realized now was my chance! "Your majesty… may I ask you a favor?". At first he seemed a little confused. From my first impression of the kingdom I noticed that the citizens were all armored in swords and robes. Nourasia was the home of agile archery, but this was the home of martial arts. It was for nothing Azerath had sent me for. So I asked, "Would you, as the great king, teach me the techniques of martial arts?".

"And for what intentions is that you need to use it?". Easy. I pointed at the boys. "To beat them up when they bother me." To that he laughed and accepted my favor. Tomorrow would be the beginning of our training. He hurried back to the ball because of the immense number of guests he had to take care of as a king and a host.

The sunset looked really beautiful tonight. I've never seen anything like it on earth. For once I had peace in my mind. Not a single worry destroyed me. Suddenly I felt arms clasping around me from behind! I turned around immediately and with my heart full of shock I began stepping back. Could this be some sort of game that he plays on me? If so, I would already beat him up. Instead I held my fists back. There was something in his eyes that seemed so friendly. Something that set my doubts away. I couldn't let my heart be deceived again. With a single breath I stormed at him! Because of his strength he blocked my hands letting me fall back instead! Then, as I was rising up to surprise him with a blow he grabbed my wrists and pulled me in! "LET GO! LET ME GO!", I yelled. What was he doing?! The more I fought against it the tighter he wrapped his hands around my wrists! ****** They pulled me into a warm embrace. I struggled to keep my head in focus as his breath slowly fell on my neck. This feeling was so familiar. My heart beat faster than a train. "Do you know how much my heart have missed you?", he whispered softly. To that everything inside me calmed down. Why was my heart beating so fast? Somehow it believed his words. I turned around to face him. His eyes seemed so gentle like the ones that I longed to see ever since we left Oban. The moment we separated from each other was something I never forgot and now that the gap between us finally found its missing pieces I felt complete. For the first time he caressed my cheeks.

"Is it true?", he whispered again.

"What?"

"That you would give your life for me?". Never as before I blushed this heavily. Deep inside both he and I knew the answer. He put his fingers on my eyelids and told me to close them.

"What do you see?", he asked. Everything became completely dark, not a single gleam of light seeped through.

"Nothing."

"That would be my life without you…"

Tears began welling up my eyes and slowly they fell first from my left eye. Aikka wiped them off my cheeks and held me closer to his body. He looked deeply into my eyes. While held his gaze on my lips he slowly bit his. Gently he grabbed my chin and little by little leaned in. Finally our lips met. The soft touch of his lips on mine melted my soul. He kissed so divinely. Why couldn't I fight it? I was giving in for the very thing I swore I would not surrender to. Love. Only this once I disobeyed myself. I surrendered to love. He was the only one that could make my heart beat like this. Only him.

Suddenly we heard something smashed to pieces behind the wall! In a moment of shock she stared at us. The princess scurried back to the ball calling for the king! This was exactly what I feared! We had to catch her or else this would be the end of us! On our way in I noticed a pool of blood as we ran pass the corner of the wall. "NO, YOUR HIGHNESS D-".

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**A/N:**

**Just as you requested, guys. I added some romance just to sparkle this chapter a bit more ;) Hope you liked it because it took me a lot of research and time to write this ONE chapter! But the question is "will those strong feelings remain in the next chapter too?". We'll see! Look out for the next chapter guys and prepare for more epic scenarios!**

PS: I would really love to see you make a drawing of some of your favorite scenes in this chapter! Please upload it on /theasib or just tag me "theasib" on your drawing! It would mean so much to me!


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